Privacy

Employee privacy and the protection and security of personal details are becoming ever more important issues for any business with personnel. The level of involvement by the Dutch Data Protection Authority (College Bescherming Persoonsgegevens) in privacy on the shop floor has grown considerably over the past few years. In dismissal proceedings, too, employee privacy is an increasingly relevant element. From 1 January 2016 onwards, severe fines will apply to infringements of many of the provisions from the Personal Data Protection Act (Wbp), and in the future, these rules are set to become even stricter, at the insistence of the EU. For these reasons, privacy compliance is more important than ever before.

The right to privacy and the Personal Data Protection Act (Wbp) also play an important role in labour relations. Are you permitted to monitor your employees with cameras? Are you allowed to check e-mail traffic? What are the rules for recording employees who report sick? How long are you allowed to store a personnel file? Have you informed your employees of the way in which personal details are dealt with, and do your staff rules offer sufficient guarantees?

Our attorneys in the Employment Law practice group are available to answer these and many other similar questions. Together with the specialist attorneys-at-law in the IP, IT & Privacy practice group they will be delighted to provide you with sound advice and practical answers.

The practice group members are also available to provide presentations or workshops within your company or to carry out a privacy check on your staff records.